Phoenix Hero is a gentoo penguin chick that hatched December 30, 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando, and his extraordinary name complements his extraordinary story of survival.

Abandoned in a snow pile inside SeaWorld’s Penguin Encounter, Phoenix Hero’s unhatched egg was cracked, and his chances of living were slim. But then his fate changed when he was found by aviculturists who took a shell of an infertile egg and glued it to his cracked egg with multi-purpose glue. A typical gentoo penguin incubation period is 35-39 days, but since Phoenix Hero’s egg was cracked, it was artificially incubated for the remainder of the time to prevent further damage. And amazingly enough, he hatched successfully and is now a healthy 10-pound penguin!

Because conditions are harsh in their natural environment, penguins have a brief rearing period. This causes them to grow quickly, and Phoenix Hero is no exception! He now has all of his feathers and is thriving with the rest of the penguins at SeaWorld Orlando.